Statements of Excellence in Education

I want to help you get accepted to graduate school in education.

As an American with a PHD in Religion and Social Ethics, I have long admired the ideal that schools should produce people who are both smart and good, which has a venerable tradition in the United States. Most children in 19th century America learned their ABC's from McGuffey Readers, which were replete with stories of honesty, self-reliance, and courage. The Readers' author, William H. McGuffey, was a professor of moral philosophy at the University of Virginia. But by the early 20th century, schools were beginning to lose their comfort with such moral indoctrination. As America became a more pluralistic society, it was harder to come up with a shared notion of good behavior. Given the lack of agreement, moral education, it was argued, was best left to the individual child's family and religious institution. By the late 1970s, character development had all but disappeared as a goal of American public schools.

Several factors have swung the pendulum back in the other direction. First is the growing recognition that families and religious institutions need help. Competing with them for moral authority are peers and the mass media, which all too often lead young people in troubling directions. Schools have become necessary partners with parents in the race for a balancing influence.

Also, as educators, we have come to recognize the essential moral elements already present throughout the curriculum—especially in the literature we read, the history we discuss, the science we implement, the behaviors we model and reinforce, the relationships we develop, and the virtues we promote every day. Ignoring this moral substance in the interest of neutrality simply shirks our responsibility to educate persons whose thought has some well-reasoned content. The only real question left to us is whether we will approach the moral dimensions of the curriculum poorly or well; we cannot sidestep them.

Our educational systems face great challenges, in America as well as the rest of the world. Many claim to see evidence of more antisocial behavior than ever among our youth—a sort of divorce between personal ethics and everyday behavior. Even among our most academically talented students, personal interest seems to triumph over the common good.

From across the political spectrum come calls to address the problem, as people from left, right, and center—however differently they may understand morality—recognize that building character is everyone's business. And, of course, in American society, whatever is everyone's business and involves children quickly leads us to the school.

My service is quite different from other statement writing services for applicants to Graduate School in Education. I am the little guy on the web, not a big business like most of my competitors. You deal directly with me. I answer all of your questions completely free of charge and I am solely responsible for producing a statement that you are very pleased with.

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Dr. Robert Edinger with Son Davy Dylan

"I just want to let you know that I got accepted to the SFSU's master of art program concentration in early childhood education. I want to thank you for helping me with the personal statement, I won't be able to make it without your hard work."

It is important to emphasize the humanitarian aspects of learning, on both the local and global level. As part of a current in educational philosophy which recognizes the value of promoting a desire or impulse to save lives, protect human dignity and reduce suffering, we tend to think that students need to be educated to become the type of citizens who would offer assistance to others in an emergency or crisis. Humanitarian education also refers, however, to the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed for individuals and communities to help themselves.

Humanitarian education is empowerment, critical thinking, even survival skills; and it is also morality, humanity, the cultivation of a human spirit that places a high priority on giving something back to the community. The goal of humanitarian education is that communities increase their resilience and individuals and groups become more confident, able and willing to help themselves and others when faced with a crisis. Humanitarian education enables students to recognize that people can overcome adversity.

I will send you a list of additional questions to answer so that I have all of the information that I will need to draft a highly eloquent essay on your behalf for your admission statement. I will also do research concerning the areas of education in which you are most interested. Finally, I will review the web site of the program to which you are applying so as to tailor your statement to that particular program.

Sample 1st Paragraph for the M.Ed. Degree in Educational Counseling, South African Applicant

A woman from South Africa who is now becoming a permanent resident of the USA and working as an ESL instructor at a community college, I am now 30 years old and feel that I have the maturity and stability in my life to truly excel in graduate school. Your distinguished M.Ed. Program at XXXX University is my first choice due to both the sheer excellence of your program and the fact that I live within driving distance.

The Humanitarian Side of Education

Perhaps you studied education with a view to go into a humanitarian job. It’s certainly one of the best careers to take abroad and do some good with. Teachers like you come in all shapes and sized, of course. And there are options we are sure will be a great fit for you, whether you’re a science teacher, a Christian, passionate about working with young children or otherwise.

Jobs For Humanitarian Teachers

There are some innovative NGOs out there that work specifically with education. Take Barefoot College, for example. Established in 1972, their primary work involves capacity building in rural villages in India. Visit them at barefootcollege.org. Their entire campus is run on solar power! They were also ranked second as an educational NGO by The Global Journal in 2013.

Room to Read helps build literacy and gender equality in 10 countries in the south of Africa and Asia, employing local authors to write children’s books in their mother tongue.

They have used a similar model to Amnesty International, and grown to become one of the most prominent international education programs with a university following and 11,000 volunteers. Have a look at their site for more information, at roomtoread.org.

When it comes to the types of positions available to teachers abroad, you’ll be delighted to know that there’s a wide range out there. At the time of writing,

The CIEE, Council on International Educational Exchange is based in Portland, Maine. It’s an NGO that offers comprehensive, relevant, valuable exchange programs for students, people who’d lie to do a gap year, teachers who want to teach abroad.

CIEE have staff based in over 40 countries around the world and more than 60 study centers, and they have a pretty extensive list of open jobs on their site at http://www.ciee.org/, with lots of benefits like life insurance, paid vacations and dental and vision insurance.

Look around over at reliefweb.int, and you’ll come across positions from all over the world, like Handicap International’s (HI) vacancy for an educational consultant specialized in children with sensory impairment (blindness).

HI are looking for an individual with a degree level and above in a related education field; knowledge and experience in special education systems and mechanisms, approaches to inclusive education, the development of teaching and learning resource materials for children who are blind or have visual impairment.

Your accommodation and field travel will be covered by the organization, but you have to get to Beijing, and pay for your own health insurance and food expenses. If this sort of job interests you, why not pursue a Master’s in Special Education, like the one detailed below?

If you’re a Christian and you’re looking for a mission, om.org is the place for you. They offer opportunities in early education, TELF/TESOL/ESL, trades, sports, special needs and new jobs appear on their site weekly.

An example that might interest you is the position they are currently advertising, which involves working with children as an Administrator of the MK School in South Asia. You will commit to working there for 1-2 years if you accept the position.

There are ways to raise money through churches to fund both your travel and monthly living expenses, so there’s no need to let money hold you back from realizing your dream, if teaching abroad is what you’d like to do.

Not really religious? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Here are some more positions that serve as excellent examples of the sorts of jobs out there for you.

FHI 360 is a nonprofit human development organization looking for a Technical Specialist (Literacy and Primary School Reading) to provide technical leadership in the area of reading and writing skills development in primary schools.

You’ll need a Master’s in education, curriculum and instruction or elementary teacher education, or education with a reading focus; a working knowledge of linguistics and instructional design; at least 7 years of technical expertise; substantial developing country experience, etc.

This type of position could be great to aim for if you’re straight out of college, but don’t underestimate the power of volunteer positions: it is often possible to gain experience in managerial positions as a volunteer with no or little experience based on your attitude and personality. As soon as you know what you’d like to specialize in, it might also be worth your while to look at the range of Master’s degree that you could study!

Courses

If you don’t want to specialize too much during your Master’s degree studies, you don’t have to. You could study International Education, or simply Education.

However, though it might feel like you’re restricting yourself when you specialize further and study something like Special Education or Science Education, niching down in this way can actually open doors for you. They will be less competition when applying for jobs, and you can always apply for more general jobs later if you choose to.

The University of Jyvaskyla, Finland offers a M.A in Education which provides students with a range of perspectives on the Educational Sciences through modules on Early Childhood Education; Guidance and Counselling; Pedagogical Issues; Educational Leadership; Special Needs Education; and Adult Education. And please note: this 2-year course is free! What an opportunity!

There’s a quality Master in Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development course available at Walden University. It’s a 1-year, online program that is fully structured but very flexible. You will study courses like Leading Effective Curriculum Design; Using Assessment and Data for School Improvement; Evaluating Professional Development; and Applied Research in Education 1 & 2.

If science is your passion, there’s a M.Sc. in Science Education and Communication for you at Utrecht University, Netherlands. This comprehensive, 2-year, full-time program uses 25% teaching time, 50% practical work and 25% self-study to give you expert knowledge in Science Education and Communication and its social significance.

The M.A. in International Education Management at the University of Leeds, UK helps students address the issues central to the management and leadership of schools, colleges and higher educational institutions in national policy contexts. But don’t worry - this Master’s could really help you internationally, too, especially if you were to do some high quality, specialized voluntary work after the program.

Let’s move onto International Education programs specifically designed to allow you to travel. There are three here to whet your appetite. The first one is the M.Sc. in Comparative and International Education, University of Oxford, UK. Graduates that completed this course are no working in international organizations. The course focusses on both the developing and developed world, and research of a comparative and international nature.

The second is the Master in Multicultural and International Education at Olso and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences in Norway. This program has an inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary character and focuses on the multicultural school and education system in Norway and the South. It’s perfect for teachers, counsellors and leaders who work in a multicultural environment.

The third is the Postgraduate Certificate in Education (International) at Stafford Associates, University of Nottingham in the UK. This 1-year program is flexible and classes take place at the weekends, and includes modules like Contexts, Understanding Learning, Approaches to Teaching and Investigating Student Understanding.

Ready to knuckle down and make your dreams a reality? If it’s a bit daunting, all this admissions business, why not get some help? We can offer you professional help tailored to your specific situation. Get in touch for more information!